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Kim and Grandma Gail are back in Palm Beach and diving straight into Thanksgiving prep! Grandma shares her thoughts on holiday traditions, family dynamics, and the art of dressing up for dinner. Kim reflects on the stresses of Thanksgiving travel and her family’s holiday debates while also planning the perfect Macy's Parade experience. They tackle tough questions from family, like the classic "When are you having kids?" and "What have you done with the house?" In The Drama Club, Grandma tells Kim about the hottest new gourmet grocer in Tribeca. The Grandma Report covers retro recipes from this Delish article. Watch out for an Excuse My Cooking where Kim and Grandma attempt these! To wrap it up, Kim and Grandma give advice in Ask Grandma Anything on how to handle judgmental relatives. The hosts debate their thoughts in Should We Bring It Back? Write to us and share your thoughts on the traditional Thanksgiving trends like formal dressing and assigned seating!Happy Thanksgiving everyone!Shop Hosting Essentials on AmazonShop Fall Decor HereShop Last Minute Grandma-Approved Thanksgiving Outfits HereFollow onInstagram @excusemygrandma TikTok @excusemygrandma Watch on YouTubeSpotifyMusic By: Guy Kelly 00:00: Introduction26:05: The Drama Club28:37: The Grandma Report31:20: Ask Grandma Anything40:10: Should We Bring It Back?
Kim and Grandma Gail are back in Palm Beach and diving straight into Thanksgiving prep! Grandma shares her thoughts on holiday traditions, family dynamics, and the art of dressing up for dinner. Kim reflects on the stresses of Thanksgiving travel and her family’s holiday debates while also planning the perfect Macy's Parade experience. They tackle tough questions from family, like the classic "When are you having kids?" and "What have you done with the house?"
In The Drama Club, Grandma tells Kim about the hottest new gourmet grocer in Tribeca. The Grandma Report covers retro recipes from this Delish article. Watch out for an Excuse My Cooking where Kim and Grandma attempt these!
To wrap it up, Kim and Grandma give advice in Ask Grandma Anything on how to handle judgmental relatives. The hosts debate their thoughts in Should We Bring It Back? Write to us and share your thoughts on the traditional Thanksgiving trends like formal dressing and assigned seating!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Shop Hosting Essentials on Amazon
Shop Fall Decor Here
Shop Last Minute Grandma-Approved Thanksgiving Outfits Here
Follow on
Instagram @excusemygrandma
TikTok @excusemygrandma
Watch on
Music By: Guy Kelly
00:00: Introduction
26:05: The Drama Club
28:37: The Grandma Report
31:20: Ask Grandma Anything
40:10: Should We Bring It Back?
Grandma Gail is full of wisdom... even if Kim doesn't always take it to heart. Every week, the granddaughter/grandmother duo share stories, chat about their lives, discuss pop culture, and unpack the generational differences of dating, sex, relationships, and more. Listen on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the show in full on YouTube and follow @excusemygrandma on TikTok and Instagram to keep tabs on what’s happening in their lives between episodes.
Inquiries: team@excusemygrandma.com.
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Speaker 3:Welcome back to another episode of Excuse My Grandma. It's Kim and my cohosts.
Speaker 4:Grandma Gail.
Speaker 3:We are here in Palm Beach recording the podcast. Before we get into everything we've been up to, please make sure you are following the podcast. If you're not sure how to do that, ask your relatives, or just it's that three little dots on the top right, it should be corner of wherever you're listening, and make sure you are pressing follow so those episodes come up every week. Leave a review and a rating if you can, and make sure to follow us on social media. It's Excuse My Grandma.
Speaker 3:My personal account is Kimmerstein. Okay. Let's get into it. You may if you are watching the episode either on YouTube or Spotify or watching the clips, you see that we are recording in Grandma's in Palm Beach, not in our studio, which is fun. It's a little homey.
Speaker 4:It's homey, but it was very complicated for you to set it up. You did a great job. It's got we've got cameras and stands all over the Well,
Speaker 3:you walk in and you're like, why isn't it done yet? Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. I'm like
Speaker 4:Well, it's hard. It's very
Speaker 3:It actually, even if I was going on hyper speed, would take a substantial amount of time.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I I understand why these people who photograph get all the big bucks because this is very difficult between the light situation of where the cameras are. It's really quite a, what would you say, a skill. Production. It's a skill.
Speaker 4:It's a skill of how to do it. Did a good job, hopefully. We'll see at the end of this how everybody enjoys it.
Speaker 3:Well, if for this, we were doing it virtually last week and
Speaker 4:I thought that looked good.
Speaker 3:I thought that stress and complication of getting that set up because I wasn't here to help you on your end, I had to hop on a flight to Palm Beach just to avoid that because I wasn't supposed to come down this weekend, but when I saw the results of the videos and things you were sending me, I was like, I gotta come
Speaker 4:they were pretty good, guys. I I didn't mind it, but alright. You're here and you got three of the most beautiful days. You got these are really I hope it lasts a little bit the winter when all the kids come down here and wanna go swimming because this has been ideal 80 degree weather and the ocean is so beautiful.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It would it's been really nice out, but and I could enjoy a little bit of it, but I also am here to get content done with you.
Speaker 4:We've done a lot.
Speaker 3:Although it's been hard to go around your schedule. You've had your cards, you've had
Speaker 4:Well, have to play I have a bridge game and I had some cards. You had parties at night. Weren't scheduled to be here, so I had some things, thank heavens, I had some things lined up, otherwise, barely would be sitting and watching Amazon all day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean we
Speaker 4:don't have work to do. That's true. Okay, let's get to the whole story now.
Speaker 3:The whole story is we're gonna talk about Thanksgiving. So you guys have about a week to prep being with your family and all the conversations that come up around that.
Speaker 4:That's not really that long to prep. I think people have been prepping for weeks for Thanksgiving between menus and getting everybody's travel plans together. We've been talking about it for at least six, seven weeks.
Speaker 3:Thanksgiving? Oh, you mean you guys I'm not part of the planning process.
Speaker 4:No, but families who get together, they come from all different areas. They don't all necessarily live in the same community. And everybody's gonna make a plan when they get there and all the logistics of getting in the car with the kids or the dog or whatever you're doing. So it does take planning when you go on these holiday things, especially for a short four day or three day weekend. Because it really is not an you know, it's Thursday.
Speaker 4:Thursday. A lot of people have to go to work. Friday is a big day in a lot of businesses. So it's really not a whole weekend that you get off.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. True.
Speaker 4:Big retail day actually. True.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's always nice to celebrate Thanksgiving. The thing is in our family we see each other very frequently We're lucky. Yeah. So it doesn't feel much different than a normal family dinner.
Speaker 4:Yeah but I'm really, actually this year I've got one grandchild that's not gonna be with us for the holiday because she's going with her mom and their extended family. It's not like when all the kids were little that everybody really did it together. And that is something I do miss. But I will see that grandchild another day over the week.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I get it. Like it's nice to all be together at the same time. But it becomes
Speaker 4:very hard because it just, you know, first of all, nobody's house can accommodate so many people.
Speaker 3:Also, Thanksgiving can definitely bring up those controversial or crazy conversations for a lot of family members who, like, have different values especially. I just feel like for us, because we're always, like,
Speaker 4:Thanksgiving having
Speaker 3:is nothing new, there's no new pressure I mean you guys listening have already had a glimpse of our family dinners, like for our two hundredth episode when we had our family dinner. It's a lot of characters, everyone has something to say. There'll be a lot of talk and we'll get to how to
Speaker 4:We're not gonna solve anything, probably.
Speaker 3:At our table, probably And let's not pretend traditional for Thanksgiving, like we're going to a restaurant, so it's Well not
Speaker 4:we're going to a restaurant because we really can't, none of us can cook for all those people anymore. I'm too old and I don't wanna do it.
Speaker 3:But most people have families in the kitchen cooking all day. Yeah. I think the point is that you guys don't want to do the cooking and the cleanup and the work behind it.
Speaker 4:That's true.
Speaker 3:You just want a reservation to just show up and to go home.
Speaker 4:I can go to my coffee shop and have a sliced turkey sandwich. That's not
Speaker 3:the point of Thanksgiving. I know. It's supposed to be everybody's working towards something throughout the day it's Oh, like
Speaker 4:that never happens. It's always one or two people in the kitchen, everybody else drinking or watching a ball game in the living room. And we're over that. They can watch at the ball game and then we'll go for dinner all night.
Speaker 3:I guess, I think I just want Thanksgiving to feel like a Hallmark movie. Oh, Hallmark movies are lies. I watch all I watch
Speaker 4:them all the time. I love them. I go to sleep with watching it, but they are so fabricated. Nobody should ever think. This is one of the things I want people out there.
Speaker 4:That is not real life. So it's fun. It's it's something to to look at and laugh at and love, but don't expect that to be reality. There's no everybody getting along. Everybody the dog is happy.
Speaker 4:The mother's happy. The father's happy. The children are happy. Nobody's fighting. That's baloney.
Speaker 4:Reality is you have conflicts. You have different issues at a table. You have different desires, and the restaurant will be just fine.
Speaker 3:Excuse my grandma guys, she just doesn't even believe in love anymore.
Speaker 4:I believe in love, I believe in love, but you have to be realistic.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I'm just more sentimental than you, like usually on Thanksgiving I say, let's go around the table and say what we're thankful for, and you all have that reaction like, oh no, we're not gonna do that.
Speaker 4:Here we go again.
Speaker 3:Except my other grandma, she usually likes to do that
Speaker 4:as Well she loves that, she loves that. She's very good at that. She'll probably write a poem or something. She's very creative and does that very nicely. And then she gets hysterical so doesn't matter.
Speaker 3:We'll see what happens this If we were to cook, would you trust me with a Thanksgiving recipe?
Speaker 4:I rather doubt it, unless you're making salmon. It's the only thing you make. If I you make turkey chicken, maybe I would trust you. Have not given me confidence in your cooking
Speaker 3:How do you know what I make
Speaker 4:because behind
Speaker 3:you show me
Speaker 4:that you eat salmon every night. There's always fish in the house. I think actually, you want to know something very constructive that I think I'm going to say this Thanksgiving? I think should give you a credit at a cooking class. I think that would be something
Speaker 3:that We're getting you're something That's good to a giving thing. Oh.
Speaker 4:I think that's a very good thing.
Speaker 3:But to
Speaker 4:learn how basic cooking.
Speaker 3:I actually like cooking.
Speaker 4:I know you do. But you have to have the skill to know how to do it. And I think you would be very good at it. You're very intellectual. So you could follow a my mother used to say, get the New York Times cookbook and follow it and anybody can be a cook.
Speaker 4:And and I think that still applies or the joy of cooking those old time cookbooks that are very well written, very easy to understand, not the fancy French ones because that, you know, that you have to be a chef. But just a just a plain even Ina Garten's cook books are very easy. Yeah. Just some background, like grandma and
Speaker 3:I sometimes do cooking videos on our TikTok and Instagram, and we call it excuse our cooking because We both mess up. We both are a little messy. What do you think? Could I make an apple pie?
Speaker 4:I wouldn't go for the pie so fast. Oh. I would go for the sweeter potato casserole first. Up on the easier things or
Speaker 3:maybe That's your dish though.
Speaker 4:I know. Well, I'm not cooking. I'm handing it over to you now. Next generation.
Speaker 3:I literally have a table that fits two people at it, so I don't know how that's gonna happen.
Speaker 4:Back to the restaurant.
Speaker 3:I guess so. Do you think are you gonna dress up for Thanksgiving? Or I'm gonna
Speaker 4:put something nice.
Speaker 3:Are we all in sweats?
Speaker 4:No we're not. I don't think, by the way, I don't think that's appropriate. I think holiday time, it doesn't even if it's matching sweaters like Christmas sweaters or Thanksgiving finery, you don't have to wear a tie and jacket to somebody's house. Could but a nice shirt for the men and a tail a pair of khaki pants or nice jeans. Not sloppy ripped up jeans where your pants are falling down.
Speaker 4:And I think the girls and the women should be wearing either a nice little skirt or a pair of slacks with a nice top. I think it should be a festive occasion. It's like you wouldn't come down looking messy for Christmas dinner. And I don't think Thanksgiving should be any I don't think any holiday should be any different. And I basically think it it makes everybody get in the mood.
Speaker 4:Don't you think?
Speaker 3:Yeah, everyone's a little dressier. Yeah, put a
Speaker 4:little makeup on, fix your hair.
Speaker 3:I mean, when we're eating at home, I feel silly wearing a dress or something.
Speaker 4:No, but we always wore a nice sweater or pants when we were in the country. We never never came in in sweats. Mean, I don't think after somebody puts so much effort into the day. Right. But so many of you are wonderful bakers and wonderful cooks on your own and you put all this time and energy in.
Speaker 4:It's And disappointing if a family comes in with dirty clothes and sloppy shoes and I all think it's disrespectful actually. So let's try to make it a little more holiday ish.
Speaker 3:Yeah, maybe we can post some videos with outfit ideas.
Speaker 4:Right, that's a good idea. That's very good, Kim.
Speaker 3:What was Thanksgiving like growing up in your house as a child?
Speaker 4:Growing up as a child, we did. We lived in a house, so we had a big dining room and we had all the cousins. Unfortunately, I'm gonna say this, it's sort of sad when I reflect, I don't have anybody left. I have a few relatives left of that original batch that we shared. My parents are gone.
Speaker 4:I have one brother that's gone. I have cousins that are gone. So it's really not the same, but we all sat with our grandparents. Our grandparents would come up to the suburbs, and I had two sets of grandparents. They lived to be in their late 90s, so we were very privileged.
Speaker 4:Privileged. And we would all sit around the table. And the difference is and somebody asked me this. I had one grandfather who was very, very smart. He was an immigrant.
Speaker 4:He was self educated. He became a very successful businessman. And he would come up once a weekend to our house and he would ask all the grandchildren to stand on Sunday for lunch, because we always had Sunday lunch He'd like he said this, yeah. He would say, What have you done this week? And we'd have to stand and talk about it.
Speaker 4:And it made us feel And I was thinking, that's how people stay informed. You have to You know, he was interested. It was before all the phones and Well you would
Speaker 3:think those things come up naturally without having to stand up and do it, but maybe not. Well he was a very formal person.
Speaker 4:You know, he was from a different time. Yeah. I mean, you know, let's face it.
Speaker 3:Should we bring that back?
Speaker 4:I think it would be nice if a grandparent or an aunt and uncle did talk to the younger generation at least once a week and say, what's up in your life? Because there's so many things that are, you know, with social media and all these other factors that influence young people today, they're troubled. And I think an older person can sometimes steady the ship.
Speaker 3:Do you remember your first Thanksgiving bringing Poppy home?
Speaker 4:Well, I didn't bring Poppy home till we
Speaker 3:were So when you were married, did you just merge with his Yeah. Exactly. Oh, so you didn't go have to go, like, alternate
Speaker 4:No. Between First of you only
Speaker 3:engaged three months. No, but I'm saying
Speaker 4:And prior, we didn't do it. No, we didn't do that. We didn't merge until we were merged.
Speaker 3:No, because a lot of families now, couples that I'm friends with, especially if their families live in different places, they're not merging their families for Thanksgiving. Like, they'll go to one family one year and one family
Speaker 4:the other. That's if you're in different cities and that
Speaker 3:do But even if you're in the same city, let's say you have 50 cousins Well, have to share
Speaker 4:our holidays. Exactly. It becomes you know, we were very fortunate all the way around. We always managed to have all the different families, always were accommodating and wanted to be together. So we all made it work.
Speaker 4:It wasn't always the fanciest kind of dinner, but we all managed to get together. But what happens is when it becomes too big and too extended, it's very hard, so you have to learn how to share. We're not in the position of sharing. We we somehow keep it all together still.
Speaker 3:Still. Well, also because you are friends with my other grandparents. Yes. So that was able to happen.
Speaker 4:And we all lived within forty minutes of each other, so we took rides and we made sure that we would make sure that that date was cleared, who was going where, and we'd all do it together. And it was good for the children and good for the families. If it's not feasible, you can't have guilt over it, so you go one holiday there and one holiday to the other side. I think that's what a lot of people do now, and I can understand that. Think another People can't get hurt.
Speaker 4:That's the whole issue. One family can't be insulted. Hopefully, unless they have no place else to go, and then if they have no place else to go,
Speaker 3:they should be included. Right, so if they're not included, obviously they have the right to be upset that their child isn't coming
Speaker 4:with
Speaker 3:them.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, they should always be included. If parents are left alone or grandparents are left alone, that's inexcusable. Inexcusable. But if families branch out and break off and some go here and some go there. That's just part of life.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Because another conversation I'm always seeing people having, especially when they have been dating for a while but maybe they're not engaged or married yet, like are you bringing someone home for the holidays, or are you just gonna let them go off with their family and kinda do it separate?
Speaker 4:Well, think that's very individual. I think if if you're not engaged, then and you're just boyfriend and girlfriend, he should go with his parents, and you should go with your parents.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 4:Unless he unless for some reason, his parents are nowhere in the area Yeah. And he's out of town, then I think you should include him. Yeah. If it's serious. I mean, you don't just pick up people.
Speaker 4:This is not a holiday that you just pick up people and say, come for turkey dinner. It's not like we have certain holidays where you never would leave anybody alone
Speaker 3:or a
Speaker 4:like a the fast. Certain religious holidays you wanna be inclusive of strangers, whatever. Thanksgiving is really a holiday based around a family unit. And to bring somebody, what I feel is to bring somebody into that unit who's not part of it is very difficult for the person as well as the family. Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean the dynamic could be the end of relationship. Well you
Speaker 3:could also always tell them before they come over, explain okay this is who this person is, give them a little bit of a heads up.
Speaker 4:Well I think I would anyway.
Speaker 3:Yeah, even tell them an inside joke or something so they feel like they're in it with everybody else.
Speaker 4:Hopefully by the time you've been dating somebody a long enough time that you're willing to bring them home either for Christmas or Thanksgiving or Kwanzaa or whatever the holiday is, the family does know them. But there are circumstances that they don't if you live in different cities.
Speaker 3:Yeah. If I was bringing my boyfriend home for the holidays, what do you think would be like three questions he should be prepped for before entering your Thanksgiving
Speaker 4:don't think anybody should be questioned at all. I think that's inappropriate. You're inviting him to enjoy a meal. You're not in he's not for in front of the Nuremberg trials. So I I don't think anybody has a right to ask anything of any of the guest.
Speaker 4:He's an invited guest to enjoy the supper and to enjoy this the food.
Speaker 3:You know some people's families ask questions, though. It's just naturally they do.
Speaker 4:I don't know what kind of questions. He's not unless he's he's working for the FBI, what is he gonna tell us? I mean, I don't really care. He Maybe about his job.
Speaker 3:Like people could say about the When are you getting promoted? They could say
Speaker 4:Well, don't think that's an you
Speaker 3:think that's inappropriate questions get asked. I think people could say Why
Speaker 4:don't they get a holiday dinner?
Speaker 3:They do. Oh. I hear that's right. We're gonna get to this section where people are writing in some of the things about their judgy relatives
Speaker 4:Let's and you will wait to discuss it. I might run away from that family then.
Speaker 3:Well, you and the rest of the family have said things that are judgmental. Not a Yeah, judgmental
Speaker 4:no, we're judgmental because we have certain opinions. Right. But I don't think I'd accost somebody and
Speaker 3:normal. Okay, well we'll get to dealing with some of those. But also this year we're going go to the Macy's Day Parade.
Speaker 4:Oh, hope it's not too cold, Kim. I have Uggs. I have Uggs and I have a scarf. I can't wear a hat because, which is really what I should wear, because then my hair is a mess, then I may as well not go. Anybody asks to take a picture, I look like a can't do that.
Speaker 4:But I'm excited. I always watch the parade on TV.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Because I do love the Macy's Day Parade.
Speaker 3:It brings so many nostalgia You've going
Speaker 4:the last few years.
Speaker 3:No, I've only gone one time, no.
Speaker 4:Oh I thought you went with dad last year.
Speaker 3:No, I only gone once in my life when I was in high school. No, went again. Didn't you go in We were invited last year and we
Speaker 4:couldn't go. Oh.
Speaker 3:Because we did
Speaker 4:in the Hamptons. Must say the thing we need to get, it's not, I'm not going if it's raining. What we need to get are those hand warmers
Speaker 3:that you
Speaker 4:can keep. Wanna get that out. Yeah, I'll get in the drugstore. You have to
Speaker 3:be there at 6AM.
Speaker 4:Oh, well I'm up. You might not get there.
Speaker 3:I don't think I've ever gone anywhere at 6AM in my life.
Speaker 4:Why do you have to get there so early?
Speaker 3:I don't know, that's a good thing to say.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I don't know. Because the parade doesn't start out
Speaker 3:until Until eight. Or something.
Speaker 4:No, not eight. The balloons only start going down at eight. They don't get near Macy's till like 10:00. It's not
Speaker 3:at Macy's.
Speaker 4:Is it in the front of Macy's where the parade?
Speaker 3:Starts on the Upper West Side.
Speaker 4:Yeah. But but that's not where we're going.
Speaker 3:Yes. We are.
Speaker 4:We're going the Upper West Side. We're not going to 34th Street. Yeah. Oh, that's more fun. Then we're gonna see where the balloons are all going up in the air.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Oh, I thought we were going down to 34th to the store. No. Oh, alright. This is cool.
Speaker 4:I like this better. It's
Speaker 3:But getting don't over you're right,
Speaker 4:but okay. Then we don't need
Speaker 3:to And have I'm right who handles all our invites.
Speaker 4:Alright. Good. Oh, that's exciting. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 4:Or you'll definitely never make it up to 76 No.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:Well, it's very easy for me.
Speaker 3:I love it. We'll see. There's gonna be a Lububu float.
Speaker 4:I still haven't gotten a Lububu, but I think they're opening a Lububu store on Times Square, so I might end up Oh, yeah. I'm gonna have to go look into that.
Speaker 3:I don't want to It's to be to get one, even with the store, but we'll see.
Speaker 4:That's the problem.
Speaker 3:And if you could be on any float in the parade, what would it be?
Speaker 4:I don't know. I don't know all the floats anymore. Think the dog, I like the dog Snoopy? What? Snoopy.
Speaker 4:I like Snoopy and Lucy. I like all that one, but there's there are a lot of them I like. I like the singing floats when they have the stars coming down singing the Broadway songs. Oh, yeah. I like to sing along.
Speaker 3:I wonder what shows they're gonna do this year.
Speaker 4:Oh, don't know.
Speaker 3:Probably new ones. Yeah, well,
Speaker 4:I'm sure they're gonna do something from Wicked. Believe me, they're gonna do something, you know, that's gonna be, I'm sure, one of the floats. But we'll see.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm
Speaker 4:excited. But this is exciting, now that I know I'm in a new location, I'm even more excited.
Speaker 3:Okay. I know we're not gonna do this at the Thanksgiving table, so anything you wanna talk about that you are thankful for?
Speaker 4:I'm thankful every day for my family. That's really what I'm thankful for and for good health. And that's what I wish all our viewers as well. That's the most important thing I could send out to everybody. Just be positive.
Speaker 4:Life is good, and we have to love each other and be kinder to one another. That's the most important thing.
Speaker 3:So well spoken. Yeah, I think for same pretty much for me. Thankful for family, how close knit we are, that we get to do this together every day. Thankful for my health as well and the health of those around me. And I think also, yeah, just like the ability to take risks and, you know, be a free person who can, like, do all these amazing things things and have all these opportunities and build a career, it's really exciting.
Speaker 3:Bank America. Okay. We're also going on Tamron Hall in December where we're gonna have advice for the holidays on there, so definitely stay tuned for that. Do we know a date? I gotta get the date.
Speaker 3:Okay. So I'll I'll give everyone an update. But just ahead of Thanksgiving, before we get to see that clip about how to handle some of those harder conversation, I was thinking about three things you can bring up at the Thanksgiving table to just have a fun conversation. Okay. Either if you wanna sway away from a hard question or if you just want, everyone's and bored of you just want to have fun.
Speaker 3:I was thinking everyone could say what trend of the year they're most excited to just officially retire. Like maybe it's full of boo boo boos. Yeah. Okay. Maybe it's carrying around those oversized water bottles.
Speaker 3:Maybe it's Those are good. Yeah, I like them. But like, whatever the thing is that you're just over for the year.
Speaker 4:I think I'm over everything.
Speaker 3:Honestly, I'm ready for a reset.
Speaker 4:I'm really ready for a whole whole rethinking for the 2026. Yeah. I'm really ready for a clean slate. Look forward to something all new. I'm tired with the old.
Speaker 4:I don't need to we're not here to impress anybody. We're just here to do some good things for the communities, and I'd like to
Speaker 3:get some new causes. The next thing
Speaker 4:And I'm so happy the hostages are all out. That's my thing for the new
Speaker 3:year. Yes. Yes. The next thing I thought was a fun one is more nostalgic, like what childhood toy did you beg for as a kid that you loved? Never liked toys.
Speaker 3:Oh, see I didn't know that about you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, never, I used to have dolls, there was a very famous doll manufacturer named Madame Alexander, they were very beautiful dolls. They were sold at a store, FAO Schwarz, and they were beautiful replicas, very much in the tradition of what's the American girl, but these were very formal dolls. Are these small or no? No, they were large. Had full size ones.
Speaker 4:Problem was as soon as my mother or my grandfather or somebody in my family gave me one for a holiday, I cut their hair off. Why was a terrible was that? Why did I do that? What possessed me? They were the most beautiful dolls.
Speaker 4:And I thought about it many and I actually was so funny because I knew the man. I knew the father the friend of mine's father was a manufacturer of those dolls. He lived right near us when we were growing up. And I told him that. He says, a lot of people cut the hair.
Speaker 3:Yeah, people cut the hair on their dolls.
Speaker 4:That must be something sexual or physical or something. Something. Or angry. Angry that they're so perfect. Maybe, maybe.
Speaker 3:It could
Speaker 4:have been, especially since my hair was never perfect. So maybe that really could be why I cut the hair.
Speaker 3:It could be an interesting test, like now that Barbie and other doll manufacturers are very aware of inclusivity and having a variety of dolls, the way they look and everything, like maybe people cut their hair less now.
Speaker 4:It's very interesting. That would be good for me to take up. I could spend $500 for a psych on that one.
Speaker 3:I never cut the doll's hair. I did always take their clothes off, so I'm sure that's something else.
Speaker 4:That's something else. I'm telling you, the whole doll syndrome Yeah. It's got a deeper meaning.
Speaker 3:Yeah, probably. I loved the, you know, well actually I don't know if I should say I loved, I lovehated the Furby doll. It was kind of creepy. You don't remember Furby? Oh my gosh, it was like Those little It was like a giant hamster kind of looking Oh no, don't.
Speaker 3:And I swear it had a I the battery out and it still popped.
Speaker 4:Well that's a freaky thing. That's like one of those sci fi kind of things.
Speaker 3:It was weird and smelled weird. Oh forget it. So I didn't love that. Tamagotchis I played with, RZR scooters, I had one of those.
Speaker 4:But I think every generation has a toy that they like.
Speaker 3:It's fun to go around the table and everyone can kind of share memory.
Speaker 4:Alright, that's a
Speaker 3:good idea. Also people can go around the table and say their favorite TV show of the year or that they're watching Yeah, right so
Speaker 4:we're going.
Speaker 3:Right. That's always a fun conversation.
Speaker 4:I'm running out, come on Amazon, bring me some more murder mysteries.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I feel like those are just things to bring up at the table, could be fun.
Speaker 4:It's like Mary.
Speaker 3:Yes. Okay, let's move on to the drama club. So have you heard of Meadowlane?
Speaker 4:Oh my gosh, I myself am watching that. You've gotta go down and see what the food is. Didn't look good.
Speaker 3:Wait, how do you know because you scroll on social media?
Speaker 4:I saw on social media these two guys that I follow.
Speaker 3:It's one guy. Well, Eric, yeah. No. This guy named Sammy.
Speaker 4:No. No. No. But people on social media have been going into the store, coming out with big bags of food. And they were eating the chili, they were eating the tacos, they're carrying on.
Speaker 4:So it's definitely, I'm going down there when I can. Well, they
Speaker 3:say they to wait on a five hour line.
Speaker 4:Here's the situation. It's a gourmet shop. It's nothing any different than any other gourmet shop.
Speaker 3:Yeah, here's the situation. So for those who don't know, Meadow Lane is a gourmet grocer it Downtown, opens in the In Tribeca.
Speaker 4:Which is the ritziest area of New York at this particular, in 2025.
Speaker 3:So this guy Sammy, for the last like year, two years, I don't even know, he's been documenting every step of opening this on TikTok. Oh. And I've been following for a while and he's been doing taste tests and showing his whole process, including delays. So it was meant to open like a while now. Oh my People were like, I don't believe that this is a real place.
Speaker 4:It's very pretty. I saw inside pictures of it.
Speaker 3:Yes, so he turned it all into a storyline on his account, we kind of got like a cult following of people who were following this journey way before the doors even opened this past weekend. He'll make a fortune. And the behind the scenes and everything. So by launch day, people were so invested in this Right, story
Speaker 4:right, of course.
Speaker 3:That there were hours long lines, because it's popularity almost entirely came And from
Speaker 4:it's all young people. Social
Speaker 3:media momentum. It's young people. And it shows the power of non traditional marketing. Really like how social media, now he is gonna make a ton of money, he could barely keep up, he's saying.
Speaker 4:You were raving about the stuff. It's a glorified market with very very Prepared foods. Prepared foods. I'm Healthy. Wishing him I it's very exciting.
Speaker 3:Good for him, I definitely want to go but I'm like Where is it
Speaker 4:exactly? It's in It's in Tribeca.
Speaker 3:Tribeca. Can get the address
Speaker 4:Maybe for I'm gonna try it when we go home for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I would wait in line with you, but like, maybe we have to go in an off hour.
Speaker 4:Yeah. We don't have to go at 08:00 in the morning, but if you go around ten.
Speaker 3:Maybe like midweek, not No, not weekends.
Speaker 4:Not weekends.
Speaker 3:So we gotta figure that out. Okay. And then for the Grandma Report this week, I thought we could talk about Delish posted some retro dishes that are making a comeback. So I thought we can go through some, see if you remember them, and then we can make one later.
Speaker 4:Well, not now.
Speaker 3:We'll make Not it fun and do
Speaker 4:it next week for Thanksgiving. Sure. Okay.
Speaker 3:Okay. Do you know what an ambrosia salad is? Yes. It's with grapefruit. It's fruit.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Coconut.
Speaker 4:Actually, my dad liked that. It's very light and refreshing.
Speaker 3:Okay. That's making him come back at holiday dinners, apparently. Alright. Chex Mix.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Okay. That's just the cereal they throw in a bowl and you eat it when you're watching the ball game.
Speaker 3:Right. But I haven't eaten that at
Speaker 4:Well I don't really love Chex Mix. But people eat it all the time. We have it here in Florida in little bags. People eat it around when they're playing bridge. I don't think that ever went out.
Speaker 3:Probably not. Cheese ball bites?
Speaker 4:That I don't like, and I remember them. Okay. They're almost like Fritos, but not
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. That's what it looks like in this picture. Like crunchy on the outside. No. I don't like that cheese balls.
Speaker 3:Okay, corn casserole.
Speaker 4:I love that. My mother used to make a delicious one.
Speaker 3:That's a good side for Thanksgiving. Yes, delicious.
Speaker 4:So did we But I don't think they ever I don't think
Speaker 3:these ever went out. It's just These are not popular things like it was like
Speaker 4:because it's labor intensive. You have to cook the corn, take
Speaker 3:it off the You know it's Wasn't not the healthiest probably.
Speaker 4:Well it's not that it's not healthy, it's fattening. So people who their weight don't tend to want to make casseroles. Garlic
Speaker 3:herb wedge salad. Well, don't like that. I'm not a lover of garlic herb. Fondue mashed potatoes.
Speaker 4:I don't like that either, but I guess I love mashed Palm
Speaker 3:a la goat, super creamy. Okay. Thanksgiving Cobb salad with like Cranberry. Turkey in the salad, sweet potatoes, pecans, cranberries. That's delicious.
Speaker 3:Cream spinach, I eat that still.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I eat that all the time.
Speaker 3:It is kind of nostalgic though, you don't really see that on a typical menu.
Speaker 4:Cream spinach?
Speaker 3:Yeah. The steak restaurants Steak houses, you yeah.
Speaker 4:Steak houses you see at that and popovers.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'm gonna scroll through because it's a longer list. They have your sweet potatoes with the marshmallow on here.
Speaker 4:Okay, that has to be. Everybody's table has to have that.
Speaker 3:Do you know what fondue bites are?
Speaker 4:No, because I never really, we never really ate fondue at Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's funny. It's from the seventies.
Speaker 4:Well, I was born in the I was having Thanksgiving in the seventies, but we never fondue is also complicated because you have to have those fondue burners and all that stuff on So the that's that's a specialty.
Speaker 3:Okay. So we're gonna try one of them out. We'll decide which one liter. Okay. Okay.
Speaker 3:Let's move on to the Ask Grandma Anything.
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Speaker 4:This is gonna be family issues.
Speaker 3:These are so my prompt was, I wanted people to write in talking about their judgy relatives and how to deal with them from our opinion, especially around Thanksgiving.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:So someone said how to respond to the classic, so when are you having kids?
Speaker 4:Well I don't think that's an appropriate question.
Speaker 3:None of these are going be appropriate but they ask them, know? Like family
Speaker 4:Well asks I think it's actually impolite. And if family does do it it's very hurtful because sometimes they can't have children. So I think that is not a question that should be brought up at a table.
Speaker 3:And if it is, how do you respond?
Speaker 4:See I'm really not really gonna talk about that now. I would just cut it down. Yeah. I would cut it out.
Speaker 3:So that one's okay to just openly shut it down?
Speaker 4:I would shut it down. I would shut it down. There's too many people that are older. There are all kinds of complexities in relationships. Conversation.
Speaker 4:I don't think most people bring that up anymore.
Speaker 3:Okay. My mother-in-law always asks my 26 year old son if he has a girlfriend yet, which Well, he does
Speaker 4:I don't think there's anything wrong. She's interested in what he's doing. I asked my grandson if he's got a girlfriend.
Speaker 3:But do you think it's like they feel like they're disappointing you because they have to say no again?
Speaker 4:No. He's busy. They're busy with their work. They haven't found anybody that they wanna have as a girlfriend. But it would be I don't think it would be right not to ask how's your social life?
Speaker 4:How's I think it's part of their relationship to know what they're doing. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
Speaker 3:So maybe just saying like, no, but I'll update you when I do.
Speaker 4:Well, think that's a rude answer.
Speaker 3:Really? Yeah. So how about like
Speaker 4:She's curt.
Speaker 3:Okay. Say, grandma, I'll tell you. No. Because like I've been so busy with work and dah dah dah dah but like I'll tell you of course when it happens. Okay.
Speaker 3:Okay. My mom always brings up my lack of a college degree every year. I adore her, but
Speaker 4:please help. Well, she feels badly that you don't have it. And for some reason, I don't think in today's world, to be very truthful, kudos to you, if you've got a good job, probably you don't need it. So I think it was overvalued in your mom's era. I don't think it's as the same now.
Speaker 4:You're better off probably learning something about AI, so don't worry about it. And say, mom, times have changed. I don't need it. Unless you do need it. And if you do need it, you should go back to a community college and get some kind of two year degree.
Speaker 4:And you can do that at night, you can do it on weekends. It's not a full time job anymore. They make things very easy now to get a degree, if it matters to your lifestyle. Okay, how do
Speaker 3:I handle people who interrupt and one up your story anytime you talk?
Speaker 4:Oh, that's just family dynamics, what are you gonna do?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean if you really can't get a word out and it's obscene, you could say like, guys, I'm telling a Exactly. Like wait a second. Exactly, exactly, that's a perfect answer. Okay, my sister telling me my daughter's dress for her son's wedding is not dressy enough.
Speaker 4:Okay. So then she has to make an adjustment. If if it matters to your sister that the dress is not dressy enough, and she might have to pay for it because she's already laid out money for a specific dress. So if it matters, really, to the party, say, listen. I I would love to buy my niece a different dress that would be a little more formal.
Speaker 4:Would you mind? I'd go shopping. Let's go shopping, the three of us. But make it make it light hearted. Don't make it like a criticism.
Speaker 3:But for her, since it's her sister telling her But it's her son, it's her It's her daughter's dress, would she say like, well she already bought a dress but if you really want her to wear something different, like take her shopping?
Speaker 4:Well, don't say it like that. Let's say I mean, you're very sharp, Kim. I don't think I don't think you talk to a family member like, say, don't we all go together, and we'll see if we can get her something a little dressier? But she could always wear the other, and maybe she can return the other. Maybe she hasn't worn it yet.
Speaker 4:Okay. So I think we just have to you know, it's it might not be that important if the sister gets very insulted, say, okay. Then, you know what? I just think she'd be more comfortable. You always put it back.
Speaker 4:Maybe she would feel more comfortable in a little dressier dress.
Speaker 3:Yep. Okay, so this person said they always get asked what house projects have you done, but then they said the house was expensive so it's slow.
Speaker 4:Yeah, well that's, it's very expensive now, and and people don't have extra money.
Speaker 3:But I guess they're asking her questions like, why isn't this done? Why isn't that done?
Speaker 4:Well, you know what? That's none of their business unless they wanna chip in and start helping you build hang curtains and do your upholstery on your chairs. I mean, it's ridiculous. Everybody's short on time, short on money now, and it's not a time to be critical. Now sometimes it could be work that's slow that's very slow and they're working on it and you can say, can I help out?
Speaker 4:Is there anything I can do? If you're not gonna be constructive, I don't see the reason to criticize.
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 4:I mean it's more about can I pitch in rather than say, oh this isn't done yet? What point, what did that accomplish? I don't know. I don't know. I think people, they mean well but they don't think it through.
Speaker 4:Think families have to understand
Speaker 3:because there's no boundary.
Speaker 4:There's most families don't have filters. Yeah. And if they do have filters, then nothing really is ever said, which is very often the case of families that hold everything in and never express. So there's a happy medium between not ever talking about a problem and talking too much about a problem.
Speaker 3:It's somehow navigating that middle road, Kim. Speaking of that criticism, this one we got a few times when they keep making comments about my weight. Oh, that's bad. Yeah, I like People have weird stuff with food, and sometimes they take it out on you, you know?
Speaker 4:Well that's all, I blame this on, you know, this is another thing with social media, this is my other problem.
Speaker 3:But like older people have Well,
Speaker 4:people have because they have body image. Yeah. And and and you know what? It is what it is. If somebody is obese and for health reasons It's it's rarely that.
Speaker 4:But now today with all these, what do they call, GL somethings, all these drugs, Wachovi or whatever, Ozempic, I don't even know
Speaker 3:what That's it not what's going on. It's like, I've had this so many times by you guys.
Speaker 4:What?
Speaker 3:I'm sure it'll happen when we go to dinner tonight with buffets. Oh
Speaker 4:I'll put a
Speaker 3:few things on my plate and you guys will all say, why are you eating so
Speaker 4:York, I'm gonna say something right now. This is going on camera so it's edited, everybody out there can say. Does somebody need a salad and a piece of But
Speaker 3:it's not on you to tell me what to eat. But then,
Speaker 4:alright, you're probably correct, but then the next day you can't say I'm bloated. Because it's not bloat. It's the double salad and the protein you just put on top of the salad. Yes. So I think what, if you're going to complain, then we have a right to interject.
Speaker 4:If it doesn't bother you, then nobody's going to
Speaker 3:say anything.
Speaker 4:But you're constantly talking about, oh my pants are too tight. Fine. Your pants are too tight because of
Speaker 3:the chocolate cake. Fine. Fair.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:But I also think for a lot of people, they're not seeing their families or complaining about it, and they're still getting the comments like, oh you look five pounds heavier. I don't think they Yes they
Speaker 4:Well, you know what, then they'll have to say, well maybe I like it. I don't know what the answer is. Find it
Speaker 3:Like could you be like, oh okay, well you're looking really nice. Or like just like how
Speaker 4:do I would rather not lie. I would rather not lie so if see their stomach hanging out over their face.
Speaker 3:No, about like if someone says, Oh, it looks like you've gained five pounds, could you just say back to them like, Oh well, you're looking great.
Speaker 4:No, I don't think it warrants a comment. What are you gonna say?
Speaker 3:Like what do you say back then?
Speaker 4:Say, yeah. I I guess I have put on a little weight Well, no. But did maybe put on the five pounds. It's
Speaker 3:Well, you just be like, oh, I didn't notice. I'm feeling Alright.
Speaker 4:You do notice. That's the problem. Most people when they're at that stage, it's one thing if you're very, very heavy or very, very thin. But somehow when you're in the middle, you know one way or the other that your pants don't fit or your skirt is a little tight.
Speaker 3:I feel like wise and
Speaker 4:don't know why anybody has to come. I don't know. To me that's unnecessary, especially when you're sitting down and having cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, corn souffle, and turkey.
Speaker 3:Right. Everyone should feel good about loading up on this day and that's like being thankful for this meal and with family and not all that. That's our 2¢. Let's finish with a game of should we bring it back? On more formal Thanksgiving Traditions.
Speaker 3:Traditions, so like should we bring back dressing up formally for Thanksgiving dinner? Not formally, but dressing up. Yes. Okay. But not like suit and tie?
Speaker 4:No. I don't think anybody wears a tie anymore. The poor tie business is gone. So it's only if you're to a bank for a meeting.
Speaker 3:Okay. Assigned seating at the table.
Speaker 4:Well that depends. If people don't know each other, know, if there are different families merging, then I would definitely do assigned seats. But if it's just your family, I don't think it's necessary.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to think if mom did it last year.
Speaker 4:I don't know.
Speaker 3:No phones at the table rule?
Speaker 4:Well, I I think phones should never be brought to the table unless you're a doctor on call.
Speaker 3:I feel like on Thanksgiving, you probably shouldn't have it out. But I also don't think everyone has to make the announcement, leave your phones in the other room.
Speaker 4:Well I hate when people are eating dinner with family and they're looking down at their phones. I just think that's discourteous.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but sometimes it's relevant to, like if someone's like, oh, I wonder what Disappointment, this bag yeah. No, not even that. Like what if we're having a conversation and like it'd be helpful to get your phone out
Speaker 4:to Google something? No, don't think it's necessary at the table. Can do it after dinner.
Speaker 3:Okay, and live in confusion. Everyone bringing one homemade dish.
Speaker 4:That's very nice if the hostess likes that. You have to check because sometimes a hostess likes to make her own meal. I think you can always bring a bottle of wine to the table or tell her you'd like to bring a pie or something like that. But I think the main course, unless it's a family tradition that everybody brings something, I think you have to ask the hostess. That's a very individual how she sets up her table, when he
Speaker 3:sets up his table. And how about writing thank you notes to the host after Thanksgiving?
Speaker 4:I don't think that's necessary. I think you can either text or call and say I had a great time. This is not a formal affair. Yeah. You know, I mean if you're at somebody else's By the way though, if you're at a newlyweds in laws or somebody who you don't know that well and you are invited to the occasion, absolutely
Speaker 3:Or like go a family friend's house or whatever.
Speaker 4:Absolutely a card is is or a very elaborate text should be sent
Speaker 3:the next day. Like send flowers the next day
Speaker 4:or something. Well, whatever.
Speaker 3:Or bring wine with you.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I think, I mean that's just nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Okay, hope everyone has the most wonderful Thanksgiving. We will be thinking of all of you because we feel like you're part of our family, so maybe we should leave an extra seat for the Excuse My Grandma community at our table.
Speaker 4:We'll leave a chair.
Speaker 3:We'll leave a chair. Hope everyone has an amazing time. We're not gonna have an episode next week on Thanksgiving.
Speaker 4:Well, because we're gonna be at the parade with Snoopy and We're gonna
Speaker 3:be having a busy day. So hopefully you have already listened to this one or you'll be listening to it on Thanksgiving if not. And we will see you soon. Bye.